Mission

We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (tax ID 47-1463617) fostering mentorship and networking among female athletes of all ages and levels of skill. Through clinics and online mentorship, our network of world-class women athletes volunteer as mentors to deliver the support, wisdom, and guidance often missing for women looking to begin or progress in their chosen sports.

The healthy pursuit of personal excellence through sport leads to positive growth and develops valuable, transferrable life skills. We facilitate positive and enriching participation in sport at all levels by offering mentorship from elite women athletes to empower girls and women of all ages.

What We Do

Getting started in a sport can be fun, exciting, and, well, confusing. There are no clearly defined pathways to progress and develop—especially for us ladies. Plus, as women we face unique challenges. Once you get started, forward progress can often feel like you’re hacking your way through a dense jungle with a machete in the dark.

Well, we’ve been there. We’ve hacked our way through, too, and we know it doesn’t have to (and shouldn’t) be that hard. We are not here to define your path. We will, however, help you sharpen your machete, hand you a compass and flashlight, and support you on your journey with plenty of encouragement and high fives. We can even help you connect with other women hacking their way through the same jungle.

As mentors, we fill an advisory support role: to guide, inspire, challenge, and empower. Mentors are not coaches or medical professionals and do not replace those services. (Don’t expect to get free coaching here.) Our job is not to solve your problems, but we will do our best to provide guidance, skills, and strategies to help you aim for and tackle big challenges.

Who We Serve

Our clinics and online mentorship are for women of all ages and any level of skill. That’s right: ALL GIRLS AND WOMEN.

Maybe you haven’t been on a bicycle in decades, and you’re thinking of taking up riding. We’re here for you.

Maybe you’ve been racing for five years, and you want to make it to the next level. We’re here for you.

Are you in your sixties and just retired and want to take up a new sport as a hobby? We’re here for you.

Are you a professional athlete looking for extra support and advice? We’re here for you.

All of our mentors are current or former elite or pro athletes. Many women think this means we only serve a “certain level” of “athlete.” In fact, many women who are active in sports don’t feel comfortable calling themselves “athletes,” because they believe they haven’t reached some invisible (non-existent) standard of achievement that would merit being called an “athlete.”

We don’t see it that way. To us, an ATHLETE is any girl or woman who commits herself to being active and to striving for improvement through sport at any level, whether she actively competes or not. If you take part in a weekly, friendly group ride, you’re an athlete in our eyes. If you only ever ride by yourself and just for fun or for health, you’re an athlete in our eyes.

NAA mentors are current or former professional athletes, and WE WANT TO HELP YOU. We ALL started with ZERO experience at some point, which means no matter where you are on your journey, chances are good we have been there and can help. Not only CAN we help, we WANT to help. We have collectively amassed a great deal of experience and wisdom over our athletic careers, and we want to pay that forward. We want to apply everything we’ve learned to help you have the best experience possible.

We will meet you where you are, and we will do our best to help you on your path.

FIND A MENTOR

Support Our Work

Currently donations constitute our only source of funding. All mentors and staff are unpaid volunteers who make this work possible. Network For Advancing Athletes is a registered non-profit under IRS code 501(c)(3), so your donations to our charitable organization are tax deductible. Click the button to donate and receive a receipt for your tax records.

Our IRS Tax ID is 47-1463617 and we are a Guidestar Gold-rated nonprofit organization.